Wheelchairs are provided on-board an aircraft, for example, in case of passengers requiring special treatment, such as due to health conditions. Wheelchairs may be used on-board an aircraft for the transport of passengers during boarding and de-boarding, and also for transport within the aircraft, for example when a passenger with reduced mobility (PRM) wants to use a lavatory. Passengers with reduced mobility may be elderly passengers or physically weak passengers, and also handicapped passengers or disabled passengers. Even though persons with reduced mobility may be equipped with a specific type of wheelchair for their everyday life, for example battery-driven or manually-driven wheelchairs, such wheelchairs usually require a large amount of space, for example to provide the required stability when in use in urban or domestic areas. Thus, for air travel on-board-wheelchairs are provided that consider the specific space requirements on-board an aircraft. For example, they are designed with such dimensions that they can be moved between the seat rows along the aisle. Further, since they are not always used during the operation of an aircraft, the on-board-wheelchairs are provided to be foldable to a minimum size to be stored on-board the aircraft. For example, on-board-wheelchairs are arranged within a flexible enclosure and stored behind the last seat row next to a lavatory, galley or other monument. European Patent No. EP 2 423 107 A2 and United States Patent Publication No. 2012/0048998 A1 describe storage of a wheelchair in a closet above a trolley, the closet being arranged next to a seating zone. A further possibility is the placement of a folded on-board-wheelchair in a stowage rack, for example in an overhead stowage compartment. However, it has been shown that space requirements become increasingly important due to economic considerations for operating the aircraft. Further, the aspect of handling, i.e. folding/unfolding and stowing a wheelchair is gaining importance due to an increasing frequency of use of on-board-wheelchairs.
In addition, other objects, desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent summary and detailed description, and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background.